FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team could not overcome defensive miscues, Friday evening, falling to Cincinnati, 9-6, in the season opener at Swanson Stadium.
"That's one of the sloppiest games I've seen us play," said head coach
Dave Tollett. "It's not what I expected and we'll have to be better tomorrow."
The Eagles received a big performance from sophomore
Ian Farrow (Merritt Island, Fla./Merritt Island HS) as he hit two home runs, including a grand slam. It was the first grand slam for FGCU since March 31, 2019 when the Eagles hit two in one game against Towson.
Preseason All-ASUN selection
Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) also hit a home run for the Eagles, a solo shot to get the Eagles on the board in the fifth.
However, the power display could not overcome six Eagle errors, including four in the fifth inning alone, as the Bearcats took advantage and scored four unearned runs.
Sophomore
Jason Woodward (Titusville, Fla./Titusville HS) started the game on the mound and after walking the first two batters of the game, settled down and pitched four innings, allowing three runs while striking out seven. Graduate student
Josh Seils (Brookeville, Md./Sherwood HS/Towson) also had a solid outing on the mound, pitching 3.1 innings while allowing two runs and striking out two in his Eagle debut.
Cincinnati was led on offense by Griffin Merritt and Joe Powell. Merritt went 3-for-4 with a home run and triple while Powell added a home run and three RBI.
The Eagles will be back tomorrow afternoon for a doubleheader with the Bearcats. The first game will begin at 1 p.m. and will be followed by a seven-inning game shortly after.
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COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 636-386-3 overall record (.623) and a 211-115 (.647) record in the ASUN. He is the only head coach in the program's history and led the program to its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2017. He is a five-time ASUN Coach of the Year and has guided the Green and Blue to five ASUN Regular Season Championships and one ASUN Tournament Championship. His team has been ranked nationally on several occasions, including as high as No. 9 in the country in 2017, and has coached 58 all-conference selections, 33 draft picks, three current major leaguers, 13 current minor leaguers, four ASUN Pitchers of the Year, four All-Americans, three ASUN Players of the Year, one National Freshman Player of the Year, one National Player of the Year and one seven-time MLB All-Star.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 87 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 43 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 25, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
